Scamwatch: 'Rental scam victim refused reimbursement'

Dear Which?,

In September 2022, I fell victim to a rental scam. 

I saw a listing for a flat on a Facebook page for renting in London. I contacted the landlord by email, and he explained I needed to pay a deposit and the first month’s rent to reserve and view the property. 

He provided official-looking paperwork and a tenancy agreement, which stated that the money would be refunded in full if, on viewing the property, I didn’t wish to rent it. He even showed me the photo page of a passport, which he claimed was his, and requested a reference from my employer. I was then provided with an address and a video of the inside of the property. 

Convinced that this was a genuine listing, I paid the money requested and travelled to the flat for a viewing, only to then discover that I had been scammed. When I tried to contact the ‘landlord’ he blocked me. 

I’d sent £1,522 by bank transfer. My bank, Monzo, will not reimburse me as it says I didn’t take the necessary steps to ensure my money was safe. 

What should I do?

Kashima Doherty

Faye Lipson, Which? senior researcher, says:

I’m so sorry for your experience, Kashima. Scams involving something as fundamental as a roof over your head tend to strike a particularly deep chord with victims.

I’ve spoken to Monzo, emphasising the sophistication of the scam (such as the phoney contract and reference request) but I’m afraid it was unmoved. It reiterated its stance that you could have made reasonable checks to avoid the transaction taking place. 

It also specifically referred to identity checks. I understand the name on the passport shown to you did not match the name on the bank account you were asked to pay.

Monzo has not joined the APP (bank transfer) scams voluntary code. The code sets out clear conditions under which victims can expect a reimbursement from their bank. Legislation coming into force next year will go much further, with mandatory reimbursement for these scams imposed on all banks, building societies and other payment providers. Sadly, this comes too late for you.

As you disagree with Monzo’s decision, you have complained to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). The FOS will consider the facts to decide what’s fair and reasonable.

A spokesperson from Monzo said: 'We’re sorry our customer fell victim to fraudsters last September and understand how distressing this would have been. We stand by our decision not to refund in this case as there were some reasonable checks the customer could have taken to avoid the transaction taking place. This includes viewing the property before committing to a payment and checking the identity of the person they were sending money to.'

Need to know

• If you think you've paid money to a scammer you should call your bank or card provider immediately.
• You can also contact the recipient bank to potentially stop the transfer and get your money back.
• You can use our free template letter to complain to your bank about a bank transfer scam.

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